Girls Basketball: Gwynedd Mercy throttles Sacred Heart

LOWER GWYNEDD — It was “Senior Night” when GwyneddMercy Academy’s basketball team hosted Country Day School of the Sacred Heart Thursday evening.

The Monarchs treated their seniors to a 55-27 AACA (Athletic Association of Catholic Academies) win that came in sandwich form. The GMA team sandwiched a long stretch of evenly-played basketball between a 14-2 opening run and a 21-0 fourth quarter. For the Monarchs, the result was tastier than a Whopper or a Big Mac.

In its early stages, the game looked like it was destined to be a blowout win for the GMA girls. The Monarchs got out of the blocks like sprinters from Gwynedd’s always strong track team. At the end of the initial period, they had already built a 16-6 lead over the visiting Lions.

Then, Gwynedd’s express train slowed down and the Monarchs looked as if they were stuck in rush hour traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway. Slowly, the Lions battled back to close to within five points.

“We had a real good start,” said senior guard Jenna Raschiatore. “Then, I think we stopped playing tough defense. Then, after we had a time out, we talked and got in synch again. We brought up our intensity. When you get rebounds and all those put backs, you feed off it. Everybody’s energy comes back up.”

GwyneddMercy coach Tim Kowalski was pleased with his team’s strong outing — a win that lifted the Monarchs’ record to 9-11 and provided a strong home court farewell for the seniors.

“This was a nice win for our seniors,” said Kowalski. “Three have been with us three years in my program — Courtney Sullivan, Jenna Raschiatore and Katrina McGrath — and they all got to start. Their freshman year — the year before I came — they only won one game. So, it was special for them. They all got to play a lot tonight.”

Together, the trio of upperclassmen accounted for 12 of GwyneddMercy’s 55 points.

“With it being Senior Night, it was a little emotional,” said Raschiatore. “It’s nice to know the team came together. It was a great game for the seniors.”

It was also a great game for the underclassmen too — especially Bailey Greenberg. The tall, talented freshman scored 12 points in Gwynedd’s 21-0 demolition of Sacred Heart in the final period and finished with a game high total of 20. She also was the game’s top rebounder.

“My role on this team is to rebound and that’s what I try to do,” said Greenberg. “They didn’t really box out and that helped me. When they were in their zone, I’d go to the weak side to get inside. The fourth quarter tonight was one of our best quarters all year.”

The Monarchs played very well on defense against Sacred Heart. In addition to whitewashing their guest in the final frame, they kept the Lions without a free throw for the entire game.

“Defense is our strength,” said Kowalski. “I personally think we’re one of the most athletic teams in our league. When our defense is working, we can be a very difficult team to score on.”